Replies to This Discussion

Living aboard, and crossing oceans while living aboard are not the same. While in the middle of an ocean, your boat is everything. Literally everything: car, home, closet, workshop, recreation area, hospital, salon, restaurant, grocery store, gas station, bar, lounge, refuge, and much more.

It has already been proven that a Tiki 21 is large enough to live on and circumnavigate, but that does not mean it should be done by others.

What you want is the least amount of boat that can accomplish everything well. What if you are forced to preform minor surgery at sea? Is this something you can do with two people in the cramped confines of a single berth hull? When the seas get up and rain pours down for days on end, will camp cooking be feasible in the cramped confines of a small hull?
Provisioning for a 30 day Pacific crossing will put a smaller boat down on her lines, sucking a knot or more of boat speed, which extends the crossing to 40 days.

In my opinion, the Tangaroa MK IV is the smallest live aboard, ocean crossing Wharram you should be looking for. It offers the least amount of boat that can do everything well: carry an ocean crossing load, offer adequate interior accommodations, adequate freeboard, ample deck space for recreation and recreational stowage, adequate interior volume for living stowage, and proven ocean performance.

Look up Hanna Taylor on YouTube. She posts occasional videos on her Tangaroa in Australia.

Good on you for trying on a few bigger boats for size. I finished the building of a t 30 and sailed it to Tonga from New Zealand and back and decided it was ok for crossing an ocean but decided if I wanted to do this long term, that a bigger boat was the way to go. I now have a T 38 and love her, and I have can take lots of tools!! The t 30 did the job but weight of all the gear was a big issue.

Was just wondering what your reasons are for wanting to stay small, budget, are you a minimalist, for treading lightly on the earth...? These are all valid and sometime personal reasons I feel. Would be really interested to hear more about your reasons. I agree about the tangaroa except that the T 38 is better again I think. If you want to live aboard and cross oceans and you are really serious about this, work like a slave for a while and get something bigger. I think you might do as I did, start with 26 then 30 and now 38. I should have just jumped in to the 38 footer a long time ago. These days there is the odd t 38 around for a good price. Bet you've still had lots of magic on your Hinemoa aye!! regards Brett

Thanks for the replies guys.
I have seen a few t38s from outside, they are way more boat than I am interested in. And too pricey. And thinking Tangaroa is a bit big too.

I come from dinghy sailing, and only want something with space for some food, water and a dry place to sleep. My Hinemoa, Isis, has fit the bill perfectly. We spent the better part of a year cruising the east coast of Aussie, and out at the reef. If it was just me, I wouldn't need anything more. As I am no longer on my own it seems a bit more storage capacity would be beneficial.
Hence, I would like to look at some larger vessels.

Minimalist? Maybe, more like lazy. I dont like working even though my work is enjoyable. With a small boat costs drop. I can fix anything myself easily, antifoul on a beach, fix most things with scraps of line or a few screws and ply. No fancy toilet or electrical systems to maintain. No engine. Keep it simple. Sail everywhere or scull if there is no wind. Or read a book. I haven't an agenda, just to live and explore

I beached my Tangaroa MKIV for antifouling, minor repairs, etc. Repairs to Wharrams are all the same, regardless of size. My Tang was also engineless and had no electrics or plumbing. It sculled nicely. I owned because it was cheap to maintain and operate. I cruised on $238 per month in those days, including food for two, water, and maintenance.

Again, coastal cruising is different than crossing oceans, and space becomes considerably more important than can be imagined when world cruising and crossing oceans.